Els Torreele Named Executive Director Of Global MSF Access Campaign 08/12/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Veteran public health advocate Els Torreele of Belgium has been named the new executive director of the high-profile Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) Access Campaign, based in Geneva.
UNAIDS Board Considers Recommendations On Access To Medicines 07/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) this week is considering a report calling for the 11 cosponsor agencies of the programme to follow the recommendations of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines to improve policy coherence, and to produce reports on the use of intellectual property at country and regional levels, including the use of flexibilities.
No Decision On WTO Plain Packaging Dispute Before May 2017 07/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The much-awaited decision of the World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body on Australia’s law requiring that tobacco products be sold in plain packages, challenged by four countries, has been postponed and is now expected “not before May 2017.”
Support IP-Watch: An Appeal To Readers 06/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Intellectual Property Watch needs your financial support. As one of our readers, you know that IP-Watch plays a vital role in international policymaking on intellectual property and innovation through its independent, reliable, balanced and dedicated news coverage. But like other online news services around the world, the challenges of financial sustainability are high. Please help […]
TPP May Be Dead – But Its Impact Lingers 06/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Despite the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) being – to all-intents-and-purposes – dead in the water, pursuit of some of the most egregious objectives of the corporate interests driving the TPP agenda rolls on. Pharma is persisting in its push for countries to adopt not just TRIPS-Plus, but in some cases even TPP-Plus intellectual property rules – presumably groundwork for the later emergence of a ‘son-of-TPP’ agreement, three authors write.
US Patent Office 2016 Humanity Awards Go To Health-Related Inventions 06/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The winners of the 2016 Patents for Humanity Award of the United States Patent and Trademark Office this year are recognised for providing global disease solutions. The inventions relate to malaria, vaccines, a life-threatening pregnancy complication, and meningitis.
Thomas Cueni Of Switzerland Named Director General Of IFPMA 02/12/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Thomas Cueni of Switzerland has been named the next director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), the Geneva-based organisation which represents the global research-based pharma industry.
Pfizer CEO Ian Read Elected To Rotating IFPMA Presidency 30/11/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Pfizer Board Chairman and CEO Ian Read has been elected as the next president of the Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), a two-year role.
WHO Board May Discuss UN High-Level Panel Report On Medicines Access 30/11/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN World Health Organization this week clarified that the possibility exists for the WHO Executive Board to discuss a recently released report from a UN Secretary General-appointed panel that makes recommendations for improving global access to medicines.
Dominica Accepts TRIPS Health Amendment; Two More To Go? 29/11/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The government of Dominica has deposited its instrument of acceptance of the 2005 so-called “paragraph 6” amendment to international intellectual property trade rules aimed at making it easier for countries to export affordable medical products to developing countries. Dominica’s signing brings the number of signers to 65 percent of WTO members, according to the WTO. Two-thirds of WTO members must accept it for the amendment to go into effect, but it is unclear exactly how many members that represents. It appears that two or three more members will tip the scale.